


spin me round

by stormwarnings



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, M/M, Marching Band, Rikos still a dick here (im sorry to all the trumpets out there), most people are just mentioned, neil and nicky are in guard bc yep, uhhh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-09
Updated: 2020-04-09
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:09:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23556595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stormwarnings/pseuds/stormwarnings
Summary: And of course, because Andrew has the worst luck, who does he get partnered with?Neil fucking Josten.So now, while the rest of the band learns sets for the ballad, Andrew has to dance.
Relationships: Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard
Comments: 12
Kudos: 155





	spin me round

**Author's Note:**

> alright guys its me again posting at one am. this is really bad, andrews kind of dramatic and i still dont feel fully certain im writing them quite true to their characters (although this is a softer universe) but like. im band trash. specifically i am drumline trash. i had to do it. sorry in advance lmao

Andrew likes to pretend that nothing catches his interest. So when his friend, Renee, dragged him to drumline auditions for their school’s marching band, he figured it would be just as dull as everything else in the world.

But. Well. Hitting something loudly, along with several other people also hitting something loudly, serves to make most people shut up. And Andrew’s all in favor of that. Plus, as it turns out, he isn’t half bad at playing snare. It took a lot of practice over the summer, but his brother Aaron (a baritone) and his cousin Nicky (the color guard captain) were overjoyed to have him joining the band.

Well, Nicky was overjoyed. Aaron just sighed and said, “As long as you stay away from me.”

So Andrew plays snare with Renee and a boy named Jean Moreau. He’s got some other friends – a girl named Robin Cross on bass one, and, reluctantly, a baritone named Kevin Day – but other than that, he stays well away from most of the band. (Especially one of the trumpets, an egotistical jackass named Riko Moriyama.) And Andrew is content with this. He doesn’t have to work too hard to be center snare, and for the most part, he can stay the fuck away from anything exciting or even remotely social.

So when he walks in the first day of his junior year band camp and immediately gets mobbed by his cousin, he curls his lip and slides his sunglasses down on his face.

“What do you want, Nicky?”

Nicky, flamboyant and loud in his spandex shorts and neon pink _Work that Pole_ shirt, says excitedly, “You missed it! Someone punched Riko!”

Andrew blinks. “Really?”

“Yeah! He’s a new kid, his name is Neil. He’s another color guard boy! He’s a junior actually, I think he just moved here. But he’s good at rifle, and he’s got a _fine_ ass.” Nicky continues rambling as if he doesn’t have a boyfriend.

Andrew interrupts him to say, “Nicky, aren’t you going to get yelled at for that shirt?”

Nicky glances down at his shirt, and then gasps theatrically. “Andrew, it is about _guard._ You have such a dirty mind.”

Andrew walks away.

Sure enough, Riko Moriyama has a black eye by lunch. And he’s staying well away from the color guard.

“The sight of a trumpet being scared of the guard is more than enough to bring a smile to my face,” Renee says.

Andrew raises an eyebrow at her. “Shouldn’t good Catholic girls disapprove of violence?”

“Well,” Allison says, sitting down next to Renee. “He’s called them fags often enough. I don’t think any of us would mind a nice, old-fashioned beating.”

Andrew nods and eats his sandwich. Allison is, unfortunately, a trumpet alongside Riko, and while Andrew doesn’t like her, he admires her strength to remain in the section with him.

With Allison comes a whole host of other people, because at some point in time Andrew managed to acquire a _group_. Never mind the fact that he can’t stand half of them, never mind the fact that he spends half the lunch glaring at them. (Never mind the fact that he doesn’t actually tell them to go away.)

Dan and Matt appear, Dan one of their drum majors and Matt their drum captain. Kevin and Thea also come and join them. Andrew respects Thea, as she’s a female playing tenors (alongside Matt) and also because she manages to shut Kevin up whenever he starts whining. And then, of course, Aaron appears with his girlfriend Katelyn (also in guard) whom Andrew can barely tolerate. But before he can make a jab at Aaron, Nicky comes barreling in, dragging the person that Andrew assumes is Neil.

And. Well. He’s got blue, blue eyes, and auburn curls cut short on the sides and long on the top, and freckles all over his face. There’s even freckles peeking out from under his cropped tank top, and then Andrew’s looking at his legs, and wow, his shorts are _much_ shorter than they need to be.

Andrew quickly looks back down at his sandwich as Neil is greeted by the rest of the group, seemingly already having met everyone.

“And that’s Andrew, but he’s a grump,” Nicky says.

Andrew looks up, and Neil is grinning at him. Andrew doesn’t like the feeling that smile evokes, so he tells Nicky, “I could kill you.”

This makes Neil laugh, a bright, energetic sound, and Andrew feels his ears turn red. _Damn him._

Now, everything would have been fine, if not for the unfortunate ideas of Nicky and Matt. See, a marching band show typically consists of three or four songs. An opener, a ballad, a third song, and then a closer. The ballad is slow, more lyrical, and often does not include the drumline too much. Their ballad this year doesn’t include the drumline at all, and so their captains had the bright idea of having the drumline remove their drums, and dance with the guard.

And of course, because Andrew has the worst luck, who does he get partnered with?

Neil _fucking_ Josten.

So now, while the rest of the band learns sets for the ballad, Andrew has to _dance._

“And then,” Neil says, “you’ll go down on one knee, I’ll toss my sabre and step up on your knee, and here’s the important part, you have to hold onto my waist so that I can stay steady and catch the toss.” Neil looks at him. “Yo, asshole, are you even listening?”

“Yes, I’m listening.” Andrew shifts. It’s not that he’s uncomfortable with touching Neil. It’s just that – he doesn’t know. He doesn’t want to hurt him.

Neil’s face softens, and it makes Andrew want to stab him. “I’m sorry, I know you don’t want to. But it’s the choreography.”

“I don’t want anything,” Andrew says grumpily. (He will deny that he is grumpy, and he will especially deny that this stupidly energetic and stupidly attractive _guard boy_ is the reason.)

“Ok, well, I know you don’t particularly enjoy touching people you don’t know. But the toss is like, super exposed, so it’s gotta happen.”

Neil’s eyes are eager but hesitant, and Andrew hates him for it. But he can tell that Neil is excited about this, and he’s pretty sure that a solo toss is kind of important, so he just says, “Junkie.”

For the most part, it goes well. He dances with Neil, dipping him in time with the rest of the line, careful to focus on the counts and the music, and then spins him out. Neil does something fancy with his sabre in one hand, and with the other he holds Andrew’s hand.

Andrew struggles to keep his mask of indifference. Neil’s fingerless guard gloves are very soft, and his hand fits nicely in Andrew’s.

The first couple times trying the big toss, it goes badly. Andrew gets distracted, as much as he hates to admit it, because Neil’s shorts are very short and his thighs are very muscular. He hesitates to hold onto Neil too tightly, and Neil wavers and steps down to catch the sabre before it lands on Andrew’s head.

“Do you mind staying late to practice a little more?” Neil asks at a water break. “I think it’s just a matter of getting more comfortable with each other.”

The last thing Andrew Minyard wants to do is get more comfortable with Neil Josten. But somehow, he finds himself saying, “Ok.”

Neil gives him that bright grin, and Andrew walks away because he can’t stand how much he hates him.

“Well, well, well,” comes Allison’s voice. “Does the monster actually have feelings?”

Andrew gives her as disinterested of a look as he can muster, and then sees Renee by her side. “Oh, not nice.”

Renee laughs softly. “Nicky pointed it out, not me.”

Andrew is finally going to murder his cousin. He walks off to do just this, in fact, but then Dan yells for everyone to get back on the field in set.

And this is how Andrew finds himself staying after band camp on a Friday just to practice more, because some idiot with a pretty face asked nicely.

With the rest of the band gone, the field is quiet. It’s overcast, looking like it’s going to rain, so Andrew makes sure that his drum is safely tucked under the overhang by the team lockers, alongside Neil’s flag and rifle. With the gray skies, all the colors seem more saturated – the green of the grass, the orange of Neil’s crop top, the blue of Neil’s eyes.

Andrew cuts himself off at the waxing poetic. He’s not _Aaron._

They start from the top of the ballad. Andrew counts out loud, keeping time as Neil focuses on getting his routine right, Andrew’s movements really only there to complement him.

Then they get to the big toss. Andrew kneels, Neil tosses, steps up, Andrew grabs his waist and holds him still, and Neil catches it.

Neil laughs, loud and bright like he’s just done something brilliant, and Andrew despises how he can feel his ears turning red.

The rest of the routine is easy. Neil dismisses it, and says, “That was awesome! Want to run it again?”

“Sure,” Andrew says, and he almost wants to smile back at Neil.

This time, they get to the big toss, and Neil makes a noise of frustration as he releases the sabre. “Not right,” he says. “Again.”

There’s an intense look in his eyes that Andrew kind of wants to see again.

“Third time’s the charm,” Neil says when they’re back at the starting set. “Five, six, seven, eight.” And then he’s moving, and Andrew moves with him.

He’s good at what he does, Andrew will give him that. This time, the toss goes perfectly, and Neil catches it with a triumphant grin.

Neil looks down at Andrew. Andrew’s still holding his waist. Neil steps down, and Andrew isn’t sure if Neil is grabbing onto his shoulder for balance, or for other reasons.

“Um,” Neil starts, before being interrupted by a roll of thunder.

Neil lets out a slightly undignified shriek as cold rain starts pouring down, and then he sprints for the overhang. As Andrew runs behind him, he has two thoughts – one, he’s glad he put his drum under there just in case, and two, he can see how Neil’s thighs got so nice. The boy is _fast._

When they’re both under the roof and out of the rain, Neil starts to laugh.

Andrew feels the corner of his mouth quirk in a smile. Neil looks like a cold, drowned rat, and yet he’s somehow still infuriatingly pretty.

“Andrew Minyard,” Neil says, sounding a little breathless from laughter. “Would you like to go on a date with me?”

Andrew blinks. “I hate you.”

Neil laughs again. “So is that a yes?”

Andrew breathes in. “Yes.” He’s going to have to kill Nicky.

He reaches out and brushes the freckles underneath Neil’s eyes, realizing how close they’re standing. He surprises himself by asking, “Yes or no?”

Neil looks confused for a moment, but then realization dawns on him and he says, “Yes.”

Andrew carefully leans in and kisses Neil, in all his drowned rat glory. He moves Neil’s hands back up to his shoulders, and Neil keeps them there. Andrew twines his fingers into Neil’s wet hair, and Neil’s mouth curves into a smile under his lips.

God. He’s going to have to kill Nicky _and_ Allison. 

**Author's Note:**

> also i love the idea of thea playing tenors (or quads whatever we call em tenors at my school) because so few girls march them. but yea this is! not my favorite! or best! but oh well!


End file.
